Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is defined as a specific form of chronic, progressive fibrosing…
emedicine.medscape.com
Lung fibrosis is a dismal condition, especially the idiopathic form that is not associated with autoimmune connective tissue diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Scleroderma.
The latest American/European/Japanese/Latin American Thoracic Societies’ guidelines on IPF is a disheartening list of “recommendations against the use of”. Guarded nods were given for 2 new and very expensive drugs: Nintedanib and Pirfenidone. Lung transplantation is the only effective treatment.
Is it any surprise then that desperate patients will be clutching at straws, willing to try any complementary and unproven therapy?

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles on interventions and resources that complement or replace conventional therapies, with a specific emphasis on…
bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com
It is important to stay curious and keep an open mind. Once in a while, something may pop up serendipitously from nature and complementary medicine which can really help us, especially in hopeless situations, like paraquat-induced lung fibrosis. And it may find application in other causes (far less drastic) of fibrosis lung diseases.

Known as Ge-Gen (in Chinese) or Kudzu Root, the active ingredient is believed to be an isoflavone. TCM practitioners attribute to it functions like anti-proliferative, anti-thrombotic and anti-platelet properties, thereby improving micro-circulation, improving myocardial contractility, and inhibiting oncogenesis (sounds like Vasteral and MTOR-inhibitor, if you ask me).
On World Scleroderma Day, I posted an intriguing paper suggesting that a VEGF isoform from platelets may play an etiological role in the fibrosing disease that is Systemic Sclerosis. Perhaps this herb, if proven effective, may exert its anti-fibrotic effect through various pathways, including an anti-platelet one.
It’s good to dream: it keeps me engaged and interested in my work.


Pattern Recognition Key to Fibrosing Lung Disease Diagnosis

SAN FRANCISCO—“Interstitial lung disease is the last bastion of great medicine,” according to Paul Noble,…
www.the-rheumatologist.org|By Mary Beth Nierengarten